Uppercut Magazine.com - Best of 2011

The Best of Women and Men's Boxing Awards 2011

By David A. Avila

Maybe it was fitting that the finale of the Super Six Super Middleweight tournament was postponed a month because it allowed the winner Andre Ward to showcase his incredible fighting skills with a crescendo of applause in the final month of the year.

The Oakland-based prizefighter Ward proved on international television tremendous talent by defeating United Kingdom’s rugged Carl Froch, that he’s not only the best super middleweight, but the Fighter of the Year for 2011.

On behalf of the women boxers, female world champion Mariana “Barbie” Juarez of Mexico City completed her most impressive year with five victories in less than 12 months. The former Southern Californian has become the toast of Mexico and proved worthy as this year’s female Fighter of the Year.

Here is a list of several other notable achievements by both male and female prizefighters that took place over the past 12 months in professional boxing:

Fighter of the year – Mexico’s Mariana “Barbie” Juarez (32-5-3, 15 KOs) finally was given a world title shot and defeated Italy’s Simona Galassi for the WBC flyweight world title. Not wanting to gather rust, Juarez proceeded to defend the title four times including last week’s victory in Mexico. She’s the women’s recipient of Fighter of the Year.

Oakland’s Ward (25-0, 13 KOs) captured the WBC super middleweight title to go along with the WBA title just this past weekend. Earlier in the year he easily defeated Germany’s much feared Arthur Abraham and now is finally recognized as one of the most talented boxers in the world at any weight class.

Juarez, 31, and Ward, 27, are this year’s Female and Male Fighter’s of the Year.

Best Fight of the Year – When it was announced that junior bantamweight world champion Ana Maria Torres of Mexico City was fighting junior featherweight champion Jackie Nava of Tijuana, the fans of female prizefighting gasped. They gasped even more after watching the two battle each other ferociously this past April and with amazing boxing wizardry over 10 rounds. Their first fight ended in a draw and easily is the Fight of the Year. 

Last April, in Atlantic City, Victor Ortiz and welterweight champion Andre Berto put on one of the most amazing jaw-dropping fights seen in a while. Both were knocked down in a scintillating back and forth fistic drama that had the audience standing on their feet. Ortiz eventually won the fight by unanimous decision and took the welterweight title. A rematch has been signed for this coming February in Las Vegas.

KO of the Year – Northern California’s Ava Knight demolished flyweight champion Arely Mucino of Mexico with a single wicked left hook in round two. The knockout gave Knight the world title and the most impressive knockout win of the year, hands down.

Maybe it’s in the water because another Northern Californian, Nonito Donaire, similarly crunched Mexico’s Fernando Montiel with a single left hook that left him momentarily paralyzed in round two. Donaire’s knockout also proved to be the most impressive of the year in men’s boxing.  

Upset of the Year – When France’s Anne Sophie Mathis accepted the fight with New Mexico’s Holly Holm in Albuquerque, boxing observers expected another easy night for the hometown girl. Boy, were they wrong. Mathis battered Holm and stopped her in seven rounds. Few expected such a traumatic ending. Holm had not lost a fight in more than seven years.

Mexico’s Orlando Salido traveled to Puerto Rico to meet then world champion Juan Manuel Lopez in his native country. He thoroughly beat the Puerto Rican strongman and grabbed his title with both hands by knockout. Most experts thought it would be an easy victory for Lopez, instead it was Salido who won easily and thoroughly.

Round of the Year – Round nine of the Jackie Nava and Ana Maria Torres first fight showed that both women were unwilling to accept defeat. After nine rounds of intense fighting few expected the pair could push it any further but Torres and Nava increased the salvos with punishing results. Even in their rematch several months later that Torres won could they match the fury of the ninth round of their first encounter.

Round six between Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto was one of those three minute action-packed frames that you couldn’t imagine. It was like watching a Rocky movie as first Ortiz was floored midway through the round and looked like he was going to be stopped. Suddenly he erupted with a punch that sent Berto to the floor with moments to go in the round. The crowd went crazy.

Comeback Fighter of the Year – A year ago Christy “The Coalminer’s Daughter” was shot and stabbed by her former husband. She not only survived the assault she was back in the ring seven months later fighting for the junior middleweight world title against Dakota Stone. Martin was winning the fight but suffered a broken right hand midway through the match. The referee stopped the fight against Martin’s pleas but she won over the fans for her gritty determination. It was quite a year for the 43-year-old Martin.

Mexico’s Jorge Arce, 32, moved up in weight class to challenge Puerto Rico’s young junior bantamweight world champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. Few expected much of a fight and everyone was surprised when Arce knocked out Vazquez in the last round to win the junior bantamweight title. Then he moved up a weight division and won the bantamweight world title too. It was quite a year for Arce who many thought was rapidly declining.